Can opener



March 26, 1.929. J. MALCOLM CAN QPENER Filed Dec. 17, 1924 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES JAMES MALCOLM, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

CAN OPENER.

Application filed December 17, 1924.

This invention relates to a can opener and has for an object to provide a device of this character which will very cleanly open cans without liability of spilling the contents.

Another object consists in providing such a device which is very simple to handle and requires the exertion of only a small amount of force for its manipulation.

Another object consists in providing certain improvements in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts, whereby the above named and other objects may be eflectively attained.

-A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 represents an edge view thereof.

Fig. 3 represents a rear end View thereof.

Fig. 4 represents a detail view, partly in section, and on an enlarged scale, illustrating part of the operation of the device, different stages being shown in full and dotted lines.

Fig. 5 represents a detail view, on the same scale as Fig. 4, taken at right angles to Fig. 4, and showing the condition of the parts as represented in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

The invention relates to that Class of can openers which operates on the scissor principle, whereby the top of a can is entirely removed by cutting around the side Wall of the can adjacent the top. In order to use a device of this character, it is desirable, if not necessary, first to pierce a hole in the side of the can, near the top, so as to form a starting place for the cutting operation. It is very much to be desired that this hole be formed without any great effort or movement of the can, and without the necessity of any blow being imparted to the can, in order to avoid liability of upsetting the can or causing the contents to be jarred therefrom.

My invention is designed to accomplish the function just stated and also to provide a very easily operable and effective contrivance for completely opening the can after the hole has been formed therein.

Referring to the drawings, the device includes two handlemembers 1 and 2, which are pivoted at 3 by a suitable rivet or screw, in a well understood manner.

The handle member 2 has the customary opening for several of the fin ers, after the manner of a pair of shears, an on the mem- Serial No. 756,440.

her 1, is formed a brace 4 that is intended to form an abutment against which the side of the forefinger will press in order to urge the device forwardly during the cutting operation.

The member 1 is bent, as indicated at 5, in the vicinity of the pivot 3 and this bent portion, beyond the pivot, is developed in the form of a blade 6 which has its cutting edge curved.

The handle member 2 is formed, at and forwardly of the pivot 3, in a substantially flat shape and is provided with a slot 7 in which the blade 6 is calculated to rest and operate.

The extremity of this said .member has a spike 8 formed thereon, which spike may be used for any desired purpose such, for instance, as punching a hole in the top of a can, particularly where a partial vacuum exists in the can, in order to assist in releasing or removing the cover from the can.

At the rear end of the handle member 1, 1 form a pair of projections, one of which I call a'hook and the other a punch. The hook is marked 9 and the punch 10.

.It Wlll'lJG observed that these elements are conveniently formed integral with the handle member 1, and that they project in planes substantially at right angles to each other. As shown in Fig. 3, the hook is a slender fingerlike arrangement, while the punch is a fiat blade-like projection.

These complementarily arranged elements are intended to be used for forming or punching a hole in the side of the can 11 near to but below its cover 12, and their method of operation is represented in Figs. 4 and 5. From these figures, it will be seen that the opener, as a whole, is held in a vertical position and placed down upon the upper edge of the can with the hook 9 resting flat on the top of the can and its end against the top seam, and the punch 10 extending downwardly outside said seam. The device is then swung outwardly about the seam as a pivot point toward and finally into the position shown in dotted lines in Figs. 4 and 5. This swinging movement causes the punch 10 to impinge against and finally pass completely through the side wall of the can, in which position the hook 9 stands vertical. The device may then be swung back to its original vertical position and lifted out of engagement with the can.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the construction just described enables a neat hole of desired size and shape, properly located, to be punched in the side of the can with only a minimum of manual efi'ort. Furthermore, the fact that the device pivots anound the seam of the can obviates the necessity of any pounding or jarring action that might disturb the contents. There is also practically no danger of cutting or otherwise injuring the hands of the user.

Afterthe hole has been formed in the side of the can, as above described, and the device removed from engagement with the can, the operator takes the device in his hand, just as he would a pair of shears, and inserts the blade 6 through the said opening in the side of the can. In this .position, the flat portion of the handle member 2 that encompasses the slot 7 will rest upon the outside'surface of the can in apposition to the blade 6. The cutting operation is now proceeded with, just as in the case of scissors or shears, with a forward pressure exerted on the brace 4. The construction of the flat portion of the member 2 servesto hold the metal adjacent the cut in proper position for cutting and to facilitate a shearing action; and the width of said flat portion also insures that the cut shall be spaced a substantially even distance from the seam of the can because it is simple for the operator to run the device around with one edge of the said flat portion touching the seam.

The curved nature of the cutting edge of the blade 6 also assists the operation since it produces a slight drawing action on the metal being cut. Continuance of the operation will, of course, completely sever the upper portion of the can, and leave. the remainder fully open so that the contents may instantaneously be emptied therefrom.

By arranging the elements 9 and 10 at the inside edge of the handle member 1, that is to say, adjacent the handle member 2, the user, when rasping the tool the way it would normally e grasped for cutting, can make use of the same for punching a hole in the side of the canby a movement which throws the spike 8 away from the user instead of the reverse. This is of some importance in avoiding liability to injury andfin increasing the force readily exerted upon the tool in its swinging movement indicated in Fig.4. Furthermore, this enables the tool to be used for the cutting step, after the hole is punched,without any change in the manual grasp thereof. This location of the elements 9 and 10 also kee s them away from the palm of the hand of t e user while the tool is being employed for cutting purposes.

Some cans are formed without a seam at the upper edge, and, in these cases, the spike 8 may be used-to punch a hole in the top of the can adjacent the edge When this hole has been formed, the hook 9 can be inserted there? in and the tool swung about the edge of the can, as indicated in Fig 4, for the purpose of causing the punch 10 to form a hole in the side of the can, as previously described. This enables the tool to be used for the purposes described, no matter what kind of can is encountered.

It will be understood that various changes ma be resorted-to in the form, construction an arrangement of the several parts without departing from'the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence, I do not intend to be limited to the details herein shown and described, except asthey may be included in the claim.

What I claim is:

In a device of the character described, means for forming an initial opening in a can, said means comprising a finger-like hook and a wide blade-like punch extending at substantially right angles to each other, said punch extending beyond the plane of said hook and lying 1n a plane substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the device as a whole.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this 22nd day of November, 1924.

JAMES MALCOLM. 

